Re: when and why did python(-minimal) become essential?
- To: debian-devel@lists.debian.org
- Subject: Re: when and why did python(-minimal) become essential?
- From: Jari Aalto <jari.aalto@cante.net>
- Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2006 22:24:45 +0200
- Message-id: <[🔎] slqk8j5e.fsf@blue.sea.net>
- References: <20060119233855.GC12818@localdomain> <20060120001551.GZ18803@alcor.net> <87psmnik6m.fsf@becket.becket.net> <20060120050930.GG18803@alcor.net> <87k6cvh0a7.fsf@becket.becket.net> <20060120172252.GP18803@alcor.net> <87d5ilvrms.fsf@becket.becket.net> <1138288663.12468.29.camel@silicium.ccc.cea.fr> <20060127010401.GA6849@localdomain> <1138351367.16359.22.camel@silicium.ccc.cea.fr> <20060127114636.GA10536@country.grep.be> <1138410838.8246.8.camel@arrakis.localnet> <877j8jhgak.fsf@glaurung.internal.golden-gryphon.com> <1138505518.5097.28.camel@arrakis.localnet>
Josselin Mouette <joss@debian.org> writes:
> Le samedi 28 janvier 2006 à 21:19 -0600, Manoj Srivastava a écrit :
>
>> And if we followed the the line of argument you are pressing
>> uncritically, we'd bloat essential/base with gazillions of
>> interpreters from people too lazy or incompetent to learn the
>> interpreters already in base.
>
> I prefer to be labeled as incompetent by people like you than to write
> scripts that no one will be able to understand later. Every time I face
> a write-once, never change perl script, the only thing to do is to
> rewrite it. And this isn't a Debian-specific issue.
Don't blame the language[1], but the people. You can as well code unbearable
code in C/C++/Mono/C# (whatever) that no-one can understand. The Perl
syntax is elegant, efficient and Python's regexp handling is nowhere
as intuitive as needed for day-to-day tasks where the poer is needed.
This is not to day that Python is bad - It has better OO, which Perl
unfortunately negletted fromt he very starts. Now, talk about Perl OO
and that's hairy!.
Jari
[1] Example of Perl coding (do not blame the language):
# ****************************************************************************
#
# DESCRIPTION
#
# Convert tokens 7m, 2h, 3d into minutes. Die if value is not numeric.
#
# INPUT PARAMETERS
#
# none
#
# RETURN VALUES
#
# none
#
# ****************************************************************************
sub TimeValue ($)
{
my $id = "$LIB.TimeValue";
local ($ARG) = (@ARG);
if ( /^(\d+)([mhd]?)$/ )
{
$ARG = $1;
my $spec = $2 if defined $2;
$debug and print "$id: val [$ARG] spec [$spec]\n";
my $factor = 1;
$factor = 60 if $spec =~ /h/i;
$factor = 60 *24 if $spec =~ /d/i;
$ARG *= $factor;
$debug and print "$id: val [$ARG] factor [$factor]\n";
}
else
{
die "$id: Not a recognized time value [$ARG]. Try 2m, 2d, 2h";
}
$ARG;
}
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